Never Really Home
by annetaco
Summary: Sasuke comes home after three years of training with Orochimaru. But, there is something different about him. Will Naruto find out what happened to his former teammate? SasuNaru, KakaIru, Sasu?intrigue! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter One)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

The darkness suited him. As he jumped from tree to tree, he could pass by towns and cities, virtually unnoticed. This was a feat that was not possible in the daylight. His golden hair and stunningly blue eyes made sure of that.

"Sasuke..." Naruto sighed to himself.

It had been three years. Three years since Sasuke had defeated him. Three years since Sasuke had run off with Orochimaru. Three years since Sasuke had left home.

Every day, (or every night, rather) of those three years, Naruto had searched for Sasuke, but to no avail.

_"Give it up, Naruto," Tsunade lectured, on one of her regular conferences with him. "You mope all day, avoid missions, and then you look for that damn Uchiha all night."_

_"You have no right to tell me not to look for my best friend," said Naruto in a whisper dripping with annoyance._

_Tsunade slammed her fist on her desk, cracking it in two. "I have every right! As the Hokage, I order you to stop this foolish search!"_

_Naruto backed away, a little intimidated by the old woman's strength._

_"Sasuke and Orochimaru won't be found until they want to be." Anger and anxiety sparkled in her eyes. "And dark be the day when they are."_

Naruto smirked to himself. Even now, the thought of finding Orochimaru at the city gates sent shivers up Tsunade's spine. He didn't understand why. Anbu registration was up, and the shinobis were the best Leaf had ever recruited. Not only that; they had two of the legendary Sannin on their side. Whoever dared to attack the city was a fool.

The moonlight shone off of Naruto through the few holes that the leaves spared on the forest balcony. Even with his bright orange jumpsuit covering most of his body, his shape was still very noticeable. The blonde's extremely tone muscles flexed with every leap. His sky blue eyes were surrounded by a scarred face, deep in concentration and determination. His long appendages made his midnight runs much easier now that he was fifteen. When Naruto had begun his search, his puny twelve year old body could hardly handle it. But with time, it had grown accustomed to the continuous strain, almost becoming a work out in itself.

He had grown a lot in the last three years. He was even beginning to creep up on Kakashi's towering figure.

At the thought of his sensei, Naruto let out a little chuckle.

Just the other day, Naruto had gone to Iruka's apartment, eager to enjoy Ramen with his old friend. When he opened the door, it was to find a naked Kakashi in Iruka's bed.

But Kakashi was not the only one that people were finding attractive.

Now at the peek of his hormonal teenageness, Naruto was a sight for sore eyes. Especially with Sasuke gone, all the girls in town had begun to look at Naruto very differently. Even Sakura had started to blush every time he looked her way.

But those things didn't interest him anymore. In fact, he was beginning to act like Sasuke; very uncaring of everything around him except for his goal.

Naruto chanced a glance over his shoulder. He had been aware for quite some time that he was being followed, but it hadn't bothered him. As his stalker drew closer, Naruto sensed the particularly strong chakra. To avoid any trouble, Naruto quickly whispered a jutsu, and replaced his real body with a clone.

Falling behind the mysterious follower, Naruto quickly pulled out a kunai and stabbed him right between the ribs.

In the moonlight, he got a glimpse of strawberry hair and emerald green eyes.

A very aggravated and startlingly strong voice followed Naruto's surprised gasp.

"Dammit, Naruto! Don't you ever check to see who you are killing anymore?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Never Really Home (Chapter Two)

**Pairing: **Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto

**Rating: **M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.

**Warnings: **Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.

**Disclaimers: **Don't own Naruto.

"Fuck, Naruto," gasped Sakura in pain as she pulled the kunai from her side. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I...erm...sorry?"

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time, Naruto. Now, help me get to Tsunade before I bleed to death."

"But ...I ...Sasuke."

"I'm not in the fucking mood to hear your Sasuke crap." Naruto gave Sakura a surprised look. Apparently, Tsunade's foul mouth had rubbed off a little on his pink-haired friend.

"Are you telling me that you would rather continue a pointless search for a traitor than help a friend?"

"Well..."

"Don't even answer that," Sakura cut him off sharply, a little annoyed at his apparent shallow viewing of their relationship. "If you won't come back for me, come back for Tsunade. She wants to talk to you."

Seeing that there was no escape, Naruto let out a disappointed sigh and slung Sakura's arm over his shoulder...

"Dammit, Uzumaki, I am getting tired of your antics," mumbled Tsunade to herself as she leaned over to heal Sakura's near fatal wound. "Did I not specifically tell you to stop looking for Sasuke?"

Naruto didn't answer. He was too annoyed that he couldn't keep looking for Sasuke to think about what the Hokage had told him.

"If I hadn't been training Sakura to collect her chakra at certain weak points of her defense, she would probably be dead."

Naruto scowled at her. He already knew that what he had done was stupid; she didn't have to rub it in.

"Anyway," she said, straightening herself, "I have something to tell both of you, but I'm just waiting for..."

A knock on the door interrupted her. "Kakashi."

"Sorry I'm late," said the infamous-copy nin as he shuffled in through the door. "I had to...erm..."

"Save it, Kakashi. Where have you been?" said Tsunade in a very mother-like tone. "I have barely seen you all week!"

Kakashi remained quiet, but Naruto noticed a smile beginning to creep up on his sensei's partially-covered face. He was obviously very pleased about something.

"In fact, I haven't seen Iruka either," said Tsunade, her voice rising. "What is the point of being Hokage if I can't keep track of my underlings!"

At this, Kakashi snuck a little wink to Naruto, an action that made Tsunade's (now twitching) eyes narrow in anger.

"I don't know what is going on between you two, but there are more important issues to discuss right now."

Naruto let out a snort. What could be more important than his sensei falling in love?

"Sasuke's back."

The silence that met these two words was louder than Tsunade had ever heard. She thought she heard a pin drop in the hallway. The leaky faucet in her private bathroom dripped loudly, echoing throughout the room.

"Did you hear me? Sasuke's back. He has been spotted by several villagers, and is staying in a local hotel."

Naruto's mouth opened in shock. But then, it closed so suddenly that he bit his tongue. Naruto had waited for this day for three years. He thought he would be happy. But he was actually very upset. Why had Sasuke come back after all these years? Why did he always have to be the center of attention? Couldn't he let Naruto save him for once?

In a fury of emotions, Naruto's orange chakra flared around his body, and his innocent sky-blue eyes turned a very dangerous red.

He got up from his chair so fast that it fell backwards onto the floor. Ignoring the chair, he turned to leave.

"Naruto!"

"WHAT?" He whipped around so fast that Sakura let out a little gasp.

"You are not to see Sasuke."

"What makes you think you could stop me if I wanted to?"

Now, it was Tsunade who looked frighteningly angry. She got up from her desk so she could look Naruto in the eyes. "You forget your place," she said in a voice so calm, it was frightening.

"I've forgotten nothing!" Flecks of spit flew from his mouth. He had edged making the drops land on her face. Tsunade did not wipe them away.

"You are not to see Sasuke," she repeated in the same terrifying voice. "We don't know where Orochimaru is, and we need to keep a safe distance until we know details."

"How will we find out any details if we don't SEE him?"

"Naruto, for the safety of this village, you are not to see Sasuke."

"FINE!" Naruto was so close to Tsunade, she could feel his voice vibrating with fury. He turned around and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him so hard that it flew off the hinges into the hallway.

"Well," said Kakashi, in his ever-so-pleasant voice as he pulled out his adult novel from his back pocket, "that went well."

"Fuck you," said Sakura and Tsunade together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Three)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

As Naruto walked outside, he noticed it was still dark.

"Of course it is," he thought to himself. "It's still the middle of the night."

Naruto looked up at the sky as a clap of thunder signaled a downpour of rain. Tiny drops fell onto his stone-like face, and he was annoyed.

"As if this day could get any better."

Naruto looked down on the ground as he began his very slow and sulky walk home. He was still in shock at the news Tsunade had given him.

_"Did you hear me? Sasuke's back."_

Naruto kicked a pebble into the mud. Why was Sasuke back? It didn't seem...right to him. Something was going on...

A shadow fell on the cobblestones before him. Naruto glanced up at the figure who approached.

Even after three years, there was no mistaking Sasuke's jet-black hair and startlingly beautiful raven eyes.

They're not empty though. Not now...not anymore...

"Naruto." Sasuke blocked Naruto's path, but the blond walked passed him. If you had asked him, Naruto would have said he was following orders.

But he was far from a place where he could talk to Sasuke.

Naruto avoided the traitor's eyes as he walked past him.

Suddenly, he felt a strong hand on his collar, pulling him up off the ground, slamming him into the nearest wall.

"Fuck, Sasuke," gasped Naruto in pain as he rubbed his head.

The infamous Uchiha didn't say anything, but their faces were so close together that Naruto could feel the heat from Sasuke's breath. He could count the scars on his milky-white skin. And Naruto could feel his rival's over-excited heart, beating against his orange jumpsuit.

Even with his strength, the fox was defenseless against Sasuke's iron grip, defenseless as he pulled Naruto closer to him, defenseless as they hugged.

But Naruto wasn't ready for this. In a moment of fury, Naruto regained came to his senses and pushed Sasuke away, forcing the Uchiha to collapse onto the cold and wet street. Turning around, he continued his walk home, head down, watching the rain fall onto the ground. Sasuke got up and brushed himself off. He just stood there for a minute, too stunned to try and stop (who he thought was) his best friend. A sudden, mischievous smile crossed the Uchiha's face, and he disappeared in a silent whirlwind of leaves.

Naruto passed the ramen shop, and even though his stomach growled with hunger, he could not stop to eat. Ichirakuwas closed. After all, it was the middle of the night. but Naruto doubted he would have stopped anyway.

Naruto passed Kakashi and Iruka, making out in an ally. Even the blond was surprised at Kakashi's eagerness to get some action. Hadn't he just seen him in Tsunade's office?

Then again, he was walking very slow, and he had been distracted...

Naruto passed the swing in the school yard. He thought about sitting on it, but then remembered that he should be getting home, or else he would be too tired to train in the morning.

Naruto walked up the abandoned stairs to his apartment, and paused at his door. Why did Sasuke hug him? He just did not understand. Even as children, they had never been so close that they could feel comfortable in such an embrace.

Still very confused, Naruto opened his door.

But he was not the only one in the room.

A dark haired boy stood at his window, watching the storm and smirking in a very familiar arrogance.

"What took you so long?"

Hmmm, shall I post chapter four? I derno, I'll probably wait like a week to post it, only because it's kind of…well, let's just say it is the main reason my fic is rated M.

However, the more comments I get, the more likely I will post it sooner.


	4. About the reviews

Sorry for that! I didn't realize that I wasn't allowing anonymous reviews, I just got my account about a week ago. So I fixed it, and anyone can review now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Three)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters. And beware of this chapter.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

_"What took you so long?"_

Naruto did not answer Sasuke at first. He was too stunned to find the Uchiha in his apartment.

"Why does he want to talk to me so bad?" said Naruto to himself.

"What do you care?"

"Just curious," said Sasuke, turning around to show Naruto his teasing grin. "You always were kind of slow."

The blond glared at him. Sparks flew from his sky-blue eyes. But he did not respond to Sasuke poking fun at him.

"Shouldn't you be training with that snake?" hissed Naruto.

"If I weren't used to your obnoxious attitude, I might have been offended by that," Sasuke smirked, leaning against the wall.

"No, no, no," continued Naruto in a mockingly understanding voice. "Don't let me keep you from him."

"Grow up, Naruto, your childish antics don't get to me anymore." Sasuke's easy-going demeanor was gone in an instant, but he held onto his confidence as best as he could.

"Run along, Sasuke. Run along," Naruto made a waving motion with his hand. "You were always good at that."

_"You were always good at that," smiled Orochimaru, "running away, I mean. It is one of the main reasons you are alive today._

_Sasuke looked at his sensei in anger. "I've never run away from anything."_

_"Oh, really? What did you do when your dear brother killed your clan?" Orochimaru turned his head and winked at Sasuke to show he was teasing._

_Even though he knew the snake wasn't serious, his words still burned Sasuke like venom. But in the past two years, the Uchiha had grown accustomed to his sensei's mean sense of humor._

_Sasuke and Orochimaru were lying in the grass, looking up at the sky as the stars began to come out. Often, the two traitors (drained from a hard day's work) would lay down and Orochimaru would share his wisdom with his young student._

_They had grown close in the past two years. Sasuke had almost forgotten his days in Leaf; his mind had been totally corrupted by the power Orochimaru had promised him._

_"Sasuke has improved a lot since we began our special training," thought Orochimaru to himself, smiling at the raven-haired boy. "I had better watch my back."_

_"I want you to remember something, Sasuke. Always run when there is no chance of winning."_

_Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"_

_"That is why you are alive today. That is why I am alive today." Orochimaru sighed, almost sadly, at the thought of his cowardice. _

_Sasuke got up onto his elbows and leaned over the snake's face, looking into the cold, reptilian eyes. "Unlike you, oh honorable Sannin, I will never run away from my battles."_

_Sasuke had just been teasing, but Orochimaru pushed Sasuke over onto his back with his leg and leaned over him._

_"Is that so, little Uchiha?"_

_"Sensei, I was just..." Sasuke gasped as Orochimaru caught his pale stuttering lips into his own strong and calloused mouth._

_"Is that what you think of me, Sasuke? The weakest Sannin?" snickered Orochimaru before enclosing Sasuke's mouth into another passionate kiss. He rubbed his tongue onto his student's, but the Uchiha did not respond._

_"I think you will find you are quite mistaken."_

_Sasuke was in shock. Was this really Orochimaru kissing him? What the hell was going on? But he soon snapped out of it. Gathering his chakra into his legs, Sasuke kicked Orochimaru off of him. "What the fuck are you doing?"_

_The snakes eyes were ablaze in passion. "Oh, so that's how you want to play, is it, Uchiha?"_

_Orochimaru leapt onto Sasuke's shoulders, bringing him to his knees with the excess weight. The snake straddled his student, forcing his obviously aroused crotch into Sasuke's face._

_"No, I don't..." Sasuke was shut up by Orochimaru's mouth once again. Even without the use of his arms, his sensei could easily win. There was no hope._

_"I think you forget," whispered Orochimaru, holding Sasuke down with his powerful body, his tongue working its way around Sasuke's neck and ear. His lips paused at the Uchiha's lobe, nibbling it tenderly. "I own you."_

_Sasuke was helpless against Orochimaru. He was helpless when his chakra ripped off his clothes. He was helpless when Orochimaru forced himself into Sasuke, sealing his words._

_"I own you," giggled the snake a few times after the deed was done. Thinking it safe, Orochimaru stayed next to Sasuke's naked body, his bare and lifeless arm hugging his student as he dozed off to sleep._

_Sasuke was still in a daze. Had this really happened? Was it possible?_

_Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes turned red with anger. He had let Orochimaru take advantage of him. With a simply thrust of his hips, Orochimaru had turned Sasuke into a vulnerable, confused teenager instead of a respectable warrior._

_"Is this what he had in mind all along?" thought Sasuke to himself. Tears welled in his eyes. The two traitors had become friends in the two years they had spent together. Maybe even best friends._

_"FUCK!" Screamed Sasuke, leaping up onto Orochimaru._

_"Oh, so you're wanting more, Uchiha?" smirked his sensei, eyes droopy from just waking up._

_"You bastard," whispered Sasuke. With a quick motion of his wrist, Sasuke grabbed a kunai from the pile of their discarded clothes and stabbed Orochimaru in the heart. The snake was so surprised, he didn't even try and save himself._

_"No one owns me," hissed Sasuke. "No one. Least of all, you." Sharinghan blazing, the raven-haired boy twisted the kunai until he was sure Orochimaru was dead. His hands dripping with the snake's blood, Sasuke jumped off of his former-sensei and ran off into the woods._

………………………………...

Please please don't hate me after this chapter, I promise, it gets better. The second half of five is a nice, humorous break from this one.

Oh, btw, did you really think I would wait a week? I'm not _that_ cruel.

Please comment, I would really like to know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Five)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M, mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters. This chapter doesn't exactly have a plot or anything, but I figured a lighter theme was necessary after the rape chapter.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

Sasuke stood rigid after his memory, looking past Naruto on a blank spot on the wall. Naruto couldn't tell for sure, but the Uchiha's eyes looked a little shinier than usual. The blond knew Sasuke better than anyone else, and the anger in his eyes vanished when he realized something was very wrong.

"Sasuke..."

_"Shouldn't you be training with that snake?"_

"Orochimaru is dead," said Sasuke so quietly, Naruto could barely make it out.

"Wha..."

"Orochimaru is dead. I killed him." The Uchiha's expression was hard to read. It would be blank, if it weren't for the tears welling in his eyes.

"But...why...how," Naruto whispered, almost to himself, in utter disbelief. Could it really be true? Had Sasuke really killed one of the legendary Sannin?

"It doesn't matter now. Defeating Orochimaru was the ultimate test. Now I know I can beat Itachi."

Naruto looked at the raven haired boy, almost in pity. His voice was almost parent-like, as if the Uchiha was a four-year-old who was being told not to eat paste. "Sasuke, even with Orochimaru...well, I just don't think you're capable of..."

Naruto was cut off in a flash as Sasuke leaped forward and grabbed Naruto by the neck. The blond noticed that Sharinghan had been activated, but it looked different...somehow.

The raven-haired boy lifted Naruto off the ground, then, his own feet miraculously left the floor. Looking Naruto in the eyes, Sasuke leaned closer. Unintentionally, his lips brushed Naruto's and continued to slide over the blonde's face, until his mouth was tickling his ear.

"You know nothing of what I am capable of," hissed Sasuke. And as suddenly as it had happened, Naruto found himself back on the floor, grabbing his throat and looking up as Sasuke jumped out of his window.

Kakashi's lips nipped at Iruka's neck as the two laid on the couch together (Kakashi on top, of course. Could you really picture him being the bitch in the relationship?)

"Iruka...I'm sorry...I can't stay long tonight..."he said in between nibbles of Iruka's ear.

"But...Kakashi" whined Iruka.

Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at Iruka's clinginess. Sure the sex was great. But a ninja's gotta do what a ninja's gotta do. Duty comes before pleasure.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go check on Naruto."

Iruka's annoyed face turned suddenly curious at the mention of his former-student. "What's up?"

"Well, I can't exactly say for sure now. But I know something has got to be wrong, what with Sasuke being back and all."

"What?" Iruka threw Kakashi off of him in a sudden spurt of energy. "Sasuke's back, and you let Naruto go home by himself?" he screamed to his silver-haired lover.

"Well," gaped Kakashi, surprised at Iruka's reaction. "I didn't really have a say in the matter."

"That's it," howled Iruka, a little more exited than normal since he was still very aroused from Kakashi's kisses. Iruka pulled his shirt back over his head. "Put your mask back on! We are going to see Naruto."

"But..."

"NOW!"

"Fine, fine," mumbled Kakashi, surprised at the change in roles that had just occurred. Was he the bitch now?

Iruka knocked on Naruto's apartment door. "Naruto, you home?" he shouted, a little anxiously.

Kakashi teased Iruka's crotch with his fingernail, amused at the way his lover's groin would rise to meet his hand.

"Kakashi," hissed Iruka through his teeth, "cut it out." The danger in his lover's eyes was unmistakable, and Kakashi brought his hand back to his side.

"You're no fun," said Kakashi in a voice barely audible.

"Naruto!" repeated Iruka, banging on the door when there was no answer.

"Go away, you asshole!" shouted Naruto back at him.

"Naruto," said Kakashi in a very grown-up voice, "Don't talk to my little Iruka like that."

He smiled at his lover, but it was returned with a very not-the-right-time kind of scowl.

"FUCK YOU!" screamed the blond.

"Naruto, we're coming in," said Kakashi, unphased by the outburst. Using his shoulder, Kakashi quickly jabbed the center of the door, forcing it to open.

"You know," smirked Naruto, who was lying on the bed, "it was unlocked."

Iruka glanced at the dent in Naruto's wall from where Sasuke had pushed him into it. "Was that damn Uchiha here?"

Naruto didn't answer his teacher's question. "Please inform the Hokage that Orochimaru has been killed," said the blond in a startlingly calm voice.

"Wha..." Kakashi and Iruka both gaped at Naruto.

"Now, leave."

"Wait, hold on a sec..." said Iruka in a very authoritative voice. "What is going on?"

"I said, LEAVE!" All of a sudden, an orange cloud formed around Naruto. It slowly began to form the shape of a fox. With a force that neither Kakashi nor Iruka could fight, it pushed them out the door, shutting it behind them.

Both of the lovers landed on their backs, surprised at the strength that their student had just shown.

"Well, that went well," said Kakashi as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"Fuck you," hissed Iruka as Kakashi helped him to his feet.

"Hmmm…that seems somehow familiar," thought Kakashi to himself.

"Oh yea, and you're not getting any tonight," smirked Iruka as he walked down the hallway and down the stairs. "You think after that weak little performance that I would let you have fun?"

"Wait..."Kakashi paused to think about this. "What?" He ran after Iruka and jumped onto his back. "You think you can deny my boyish charm?"

"Yes."

"Why you little..." Kakashi fought back the only way he knew how against Iruka. Leaning over his lover's shoulders, he starting kissing Iruka's neck.

"Ah...Ah...Kakashi..."stammered Iruka, his knees already buckling in pleasure.

Yes, Kakashi knew just how to fight back. It was going to be a fun night...

………………………………...

Sorry, this is the last chapter for about two weeks, I'm going on vacation and the next chapters have yet to be beta-ed. Also, there is a possibly large re-write in the near future of chapter eight, which could alter the entire storyline.

Don't mind my rambling. Comments are always appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7, but really chapter 6

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Six)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M, mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters. Sorry for the labeling mix-up and anything else that may have gone wrong thus far. I'm still getting used to posting on fanfic.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

"Kakashi, mind getting off my back?"

"Yes, I do actually."

"I can't carry you all the way to Tsunade's office."

"Who says?"

Iruka let out an irritated sigh. Why should Kakashi get the piggy-back ride? _He_ was the one that was smaller. "I'm serious, Kakashi, get off!" Iruka tried shaking the copy-nin off of his back, but his silver haired lover wouldn't budge. In fact he let out a little chuckle and licked Iruka's ear.

"Make me," he whispered into Iruka's ear in the sexiest voice he could muster. Iruka's knees shook with pleasure as Kakashi nuzzled his neck.

"No...Kakashi...you bastard..." Iruka fell to his knees, and his lover leaped off his back to help him off the ground. "We shouldn't be fooling around like this. We have important news to deliver to the Hokage."

"What are you talking about, little Iruka? We're already at her office." Kakashi ruffled his lover's hair as he took Iruka's hand and helped him stand up. Grabbing his waist, they walked in through the doors arm in arm.

…

"WHAT?" Tsunade's voice shook the room that the three ninjas were sitting in. "What do you mean, 'Orochimaru is dead?'"

"Well, is there really any other way to put it?" Kakashi's voice gave away the smile on his face as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, but Iruka was a little more startled by the Hokage's reaction.

"How long have you known this? Kakashi, I only saw you an hour ago!"

"Tsu...Tsunade, we only found out from Naruto a few minutes ago."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"We...we did...Hokage-sama."

"Right," Tsunade, she looked down at her desk a little sheepishly at first, but then glanced up at the two lovers (Iruka was bouncing on Kakashi's knee) with fire in her brown eyes. "How does Naruto know that snake is dead?"

"He didn't really give us chance to ask questions..."

"What! We can't make any assumptions until we know for sure! Letting our guard down is probably just what that damn Orochimaru wants!"

"But..." Iruka stuttered.

"Enough! Don't come to me with such stupid rumors ever again!" She pointed to the door, motioning for them to leave her the hell alone.

"I told him." A hush fell over the room as Iruka, Kakashi, and Tsunade looked out her open window at Sasuke.

"What do you think you are doing here, Uchiha?"

"I told Naruto that Orochimaru is dead."

"But," the Hokage's brown eyes widened, "How would you know..."

"Kakashi, you better tell everyone to close their eyes."

"Wha..."

"Tell them!"

"Well, you heard him," said Kakashi, waving his hand at Iruka and Tsunade, but keeping his gaze on Sasuke in curiosity. He hesitantly reached up and uncovered his Sharinghan.

Sasuke jumped down from the window sill and walked towards Kakashi, staring him straight in the eyes.

Kakashi's expression went blank, and he fell to the floor in a dead faint.

…

"Kakashi? Kakashi!" Iruka shook his lovers shoulders to get him out of the trance.

"Huh..." the copy-nin mumbled as he woke up. Suddenly, Kakashi's eyes were wide with understanding. He knew now that Orochimaru was indeed no more.

"Hokage, Orochimaru is dead," he said in a definite tone.

"Great, just great. So I'm supposed to believe a demon child, a traitor, and some drugged-up loverboy?"

"Yup. Come on, little Iruka." Kakashi stood up, put his arm on his lover's shoulder and walked out the door. "Our work here is done."

…

Naruto was still lying in his bed. He didn't care that he had just thrown his two father-figures out the door. He didn't care that Sasuke was back. He didn't care that Sasuke had...

_His lips brushed Naruto's and continued to slide over the blonde's face, until his mouth was tickling his ears _

...been so close.

"Shut up!" screamed Naruto to himself. "You don't care! You don't care! YOU DON'T CARE!"

"Don't care what?" asked a voice that was way too girly to be his own.

Naruto jumped out of bed and realized he had been sleeping. The sun shone through his open window, making him blink with the sudden burst of light. Naruto looked next to him at his pink-haired teammate. "Sakura, what are you doing here?" he asked, a little annoyed.

"Don't act so stupid towards me this morning, Naruto. I am in no mood." She shook her finger at the blond. Naruto scowled at her. "I came to get you so we could train."

"I'm not in the mood to train today," mumbled Naruto in a mocking voice, dripping with apathy.

"Gimme a break." Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed Naruto's arm, dragging him towards the door. "How are you ever going to become Hokage if all you do is sleep and eat ramen?"

"Wait, Sakura..."Naruto grabbed for the wall, the furniture, anything to keep him from going outside. "Can't I at least get dressed first?"

…

Sasuke watched them. Hidden by the leaves and branches, he was practically unnoticeable, unless you felt his eyes burning on the back of your head, like Naruto did. But the blond didn't say anything.

He was amazed at how Sakura had grown in the last three years. She was sparring with Naruto, and the Uchiha could tell the fox was not holding back at all. Sweat glistened off his stubborn forehead, wrinkled in concentration as he tried to break through Sakura's rock-solid defense.

He remembered, she was the best student Leaf had ever seen. She had the best chakra control Sasuke had encountered thus far. "I bet training with Tsunade didn't hurt, either," chuckled the Uchiha to himself as Sakura pounded the ground with her fist, sending an earth-quake sized crack towards Naruto to stop him from attacking.

Sasuke noticed that Kakashi was sitting at the base of the tree where he was perched, supposedly reading another smutty romance novel. But his eye wasn't moving...

"Sasuke, you might as well come down, I know you're up there."

**Yes, I know I said a couple weeks and it's actually been almost a month, but at least I updated. I mean, I have _some _favorites who haven't updated in several months. So you should be grateful. heh. Anyway, I have given up on my one beta ever getting back to me. So I will be posting (I hope) three more chapters in the next few days. heh. Actually, the said unreliable beta is actually taking a big part in writing chapter ten, since fight-fics are his forte. He almost begged me to write it, I don't think he was pleased with chapter nine...**

**_gasp_ a fight! two fights! I've said too much.**


	8. The REAL Chapter 7

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Seven)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto, oh and Azamiko...sniff what more can I do than apologize and update with a new chapter? hehe**

Sasuke jumped down from his hiding place. A scowl adorned his beautiful face as he brushed away the bangs from his eyes. Ever since he had abandoned his forehead protector three years ago, he had been having trouble styling his hair in a useful way.

Kakashi put his arm around his former student's uptight shoulder, choosing to forget their awkward encounter the night before. "It's good to see you home, Sasuke."

The Uchiha roughly pulled himself away from Kakashi's grip. "I'm not home, Kakashi. I...I just came to..."

"Of course you're home!" interrupted Kakashi, a naive grin on his partially-covered face. "You're here, aren't you?"

"Well..."Sasuke grimaced slightly, thinking about how to answer.

Naruto and Sakura had continued fighting, unaware of their knew visitor. However, as Sakura easily dodged three shuriken Naruto threw at her, she turned to smile at her sensei, and her eager eyes caught sight of her former teammate. She let out an ear-piercing squeal and ran towards him. Unfortunately for Sasuke, the noise was not enough warning to save him from being engulfed in a painfully powerful hug.

"Sasuke! You're back! You're back! I knew you would come back! I tried to send Naruto to get you, but he couldn't! Omigosh! Sasuke! You're back! You're back! You're back!" The Uchiha's eyes were bugged out from the pressure of Sakura's grip. He tried to pull himself away, but to no avail.

"Sakura," he gasped, running out of air, "Please...let go."

Sakura released him quickly, blushing at her "former" crush. "Ss...sorry Sasuke, I'm just, so happy to see you."

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Sakura. It's been along time," he smiled, very uncharacteristically. "I see you've improved greatly, sparring with Naruto and all."

"You…you were watching? It was nothing, really..."Sakura's face turned a deep shade of red and she looked at her feet in embarrassment.

Naruto had yet to come over to join the reunion of Team 7. He was shocked at how a strong ninja like Sakura still turned to jelly at the sight of such a...such a traitor. But, Sakura saw that he was standing by himself, and waved him over.

"Come on, Naruto! Come see Sasuke!"

"I've already seen him," mumbled the blond to himself, but he sulked over anyway.

An uncomfortable hush fell over the four of them as Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other. Only the two of them really knew what had happened the night before, but their distaste was written all over their faces. Sakura glanced from one to the other, a worried look on her face.

"So...heh heh," said Kakashi, clapping his hands on Naruto and Sasuke's back to break the silence, "who's up for some ramen?"

"I actually...have to get going," said Sasuke, shaking Kakashi off him and pointing vaguely towards the road.

"But, you just got here," whined Sakura.

"Yeah, I know..." Sasuke trailed off. He had a sad, distant look on his face. "I...I have to do something."

"Oh..."Sakura's face fell. "Well, you'll be back soon, won't you?" Her voice sounded doubtful.

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead, he gave her a very heartfelt hug. Surprisingly, he then turned to Kakashi and embraced him as well. The Uchiha looked at Naruto, his gaze was not returned, and it was obvious that the blond was not going to accept a hug from his rival. Sighing, Sasuke quickly wiped a single tear from his cheek and walked toward the road.

…

"Why didn't you say good-bye to Sasuke?" yelled Sakura accusingly to Naruto as they sat at Ichiraku, taking Kakashi up on his offering to buy them lunch.

Naruto glared at his bowl of ramen. He could have burned a hole through it from the fire emitting from his eyes. "I dunno," he mumbled.

Sakura let out an aggravated sigh. Her teammates' stubbornness had not changed in three years. Neither one of them would ever admit that they cared for each other. "Well, that was really mean that you totally ignored him. He was really hurt."

"He was not."

"How would you know? You weren't even looking at him. He was crying."

"He...was...what?" Naruto's eyes were wide. The blond had never known Sasuke to cry. Well, not before today. Last night, it looked like the Uchiha was upset, and it was genuinely strange for Sasuke to show any emotions. The changes in his former teammate confused Naruto, and he wanted to know what was going on.

"Yes, he was crying, and it's all your fault." Naruto go up from his ramen, untouched, and left. Sakura couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like the blond was heading in the same direction that Sasuke had left in.

**Yay! New Chapter, and another one will be on the way soon! Please comment, it makes me feel special and want to update quickly.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Eight)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

A breeze ruffled the pale, raven-haired boy's hair. He was looking at the ground. To a stranger, it would have seemed that he was studying his feet very diligently.

_"I own you."_ Sasuke tripped over a rock in the road, but caught himself from falling.

_"I own you. I own you. I own you_." Orochimaru's high pitched laugh echoed through Sasuke's ears. His head was swimming with that disgustingly reptilian smile.

_"I own you. I own you. I own you." _The voice mocked the Uchiha's weakness. It took away his dignity. He wanted to scream "SHUT UP!" but he knew that it wouldn't help.

Sasuke tripped on another rock, but this time, he fell face-first into the mud.

No one saw him. No one noticed him. No one cared for him. Sasuke knew that he was in the middle of nowhere, and there was no one that could help him.

"Sasuke!" The Uchiha stayed on the ground. Maybe whoever was bothering him wouldn't notice he was there. "Ss...Sasuke, what are you doing in the mud?"The raven-haired boy groaned. Why couldn't that damn Naruto just leave him alone. He had left, and now he did not want to be bothered. Never again. "Get up, I need to talk to you." The blond kicked Sasuke's side lightly, trying to get him to move.

"Fuck off, Naruto."

"Stop sulking and MOVE!" With this, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulders and hoisted him off the ground. The Uchiha avoided his gaze as Naruto wiped the mud off his face. "What the fuck are you doing, Sasuke?"

"I'm leaving."

"Why?"

"Why the fuck do you think? Why am I ever leaving? I am going to avenge my family. I am going to kill my brother."

"Sasuke, you can't kill Itachi. He's too strong."

"You don't know that. You haven't seen what I am capable of."

"I know more than anyone what you are capable of. Need I remind you of our battle three years ago?"

"I've grown a lot since then."

Sasuke shook Naruto (who was still trying to remove the rest of the mud) off of him, and continued down the path.

"Don't you remember! You were trying to kill me. You were trying to fucking kill me!" Naruto's voice got louder as Sasuke got farther and farther away. "You said I was your best friend!" shouted the blond.

The Uchiha stopped at this. "You are no longer my best friend," he said loud enough so Naruto could make it out. "No one is," Sasuke whispered quietly, almost to himself.

Naruto didn't seem to hear the last part. "Fuck you, Sasuke!" he shouted after his former teammate. "Fuck you! Go get yourself killed for all I care!" Sasuke continued to walk away. Naruto lost sight of him as he went over a dirt-hill. "Go get yourself killed for nothing," the blond mumbled.

…

Sasuke looked back down at his feet once he stopped hearing Naruto's voice. He didn't care that Naruto was less ignorant than he. The Uchiha needed to prove to himself…to everyone, once and for all, that he was strong. Sasuke was going to kill his brother, the person who had taken away everything he loved, even if it took his own life.

…

Naruto stood in the middle of the road. His expression was easily read as one of disbelief. Sasuke had gotten away again, and it was all his fault.

_"You know nothing of what I am capable of."_

Maybe the Uchiha was right. Maybe he could beat Itachi. Maybe he could find within himself the strength to overcome one of the most powerful beings the world had ever seen. But he doubted it.

Sasuke might have grown over the last three years, but there was no way he could surpass Itachi. No one had ever been able to. No one was ever going to.

"What are you doing in the middle of the road!" An angry trader yelled at the blond from his cart, snapping him back to reality. He gave the obnoxious man a frightening glare, and then stepped out of his way into the shade of the trees.

Naruto plopped down at the trunk of a large oak. He put his hands behind his head, hoping to get in a little doze before Sakura found him and made him train with her again...Besides, a nap would at least ease his mind from all of the dangerously intense emotions he was feeling at the moment. Naruto hadn't felt this way since he had last seen Sasuke. But that was three years ago. Three years...since Sasuke had tried to kill his best friend... The blonde's eyes began to droop, and he soon fell into a very heavy slumber.

_Naruto was lying on the ground, at the foot of a storming waterfall. His eyes were closed, but somehow, he could see what was happening. Sasuke was looking down at him, his face (hadn't it been full of hate before?) was sad, almost regretful. As the raven-haired boy lifted up his kunai, he fell into a hacking cough and fell to his knees._

_His face was inches from Naruto's. Naruto could feel his warm breath. He could feel the drops of sweat, falling off Sasuke's face onto his own. He could hear the Uchiha's ragged breath, exhausted partially from the long battle, but more because of his intent to kill._

_All of a sudden, Sasuke began to cry. He slowly stood up, to join a man that had just appeared at his side. For some reason, the man's shadow was shaped like a snake's. The Uchiha took the serpent-man's hand and, glancing back one last time at the blond, walked away, disappearing into the air._

_The scene changed. Sasuke was lying on the ground this time. Naruto was looking down at him and shaking his head in pity. The blonde's figure suddenly changed to that of Itachi's. The older Uchiha took a kunai and plunged it into Sasuke's chest, laughing._

_But the laughing sounded strange..._

Naruto blinked, and jumped slightly at a pair of eerie black eyes. Whoever was staring at him was laughing, and he seemed pleased with himself.

"The Akatsuki will behappy with me." In one quick motion, the scaly fingers of Kisame grabbed Naruto's leg, and hoisted him upside-down over his shoulder.

**Yes, I wasn't lying. Hehe. However, unless I start getting comments, I will have to assume that no one likes my story and will stop posting so frequently. So, it's in your hands. I have, in fact, two more chapters written (and many more to come), but when you next see them is up to you.**


	10. Chapter 9

**REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY, THIS IS CHAPTER NINE!**

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Nine)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters. Very much an over-exaggeration of Kisame's uselessness. I'm sorry, he just bugs me. Also, there is a debate of whether Lee should be considered "thick brows" or "fuzzy eyebrows." I think most translationssay it'sthe former, but I prefer the latter, so too bad.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

Kisame swung his samheda over one shoulder, and the stubborn blond over the other and started walking down the road. Naruto crossed his arms and smirked. "Do you really think that Akatsuki would be so eager to get me if I were this easy to catch?"

"It's not you we are after. It's the Kyu…"Kisame didn't get to finish his sentence. In one swift movement, Naruto kicked his leg, making contact with the shark's head and forcing Kisame's grip to loosen. The blond fell to the ground, and stood up quickly, positioning himself for a fight. "You fool," hissed Kisame, removing the samheda from his shoulder so the tip grazed the road. "Do you not remember what I am capable of?"

"I do." Naruto recalled perfectly. More than three years ago, the two had found each other in similar combative mode. The blond had summoned the kyuubi's powerful red chakra, and with one quick swing, Kisame had swept it away with his dumb stick.

"Then why do you even bother fighting back?"

Naruto's eyes lit up, almost teasingly. "Because you no longer know what _I_ am capable of."

"_Naruto, what are you doing?"_

"_Mmph," mumbled the blond. Naruto had been dozing under a tree. He was tired from a long night's search for Sasuke._

"_Aren't you supposed to be on a mission with Sakura and Kakashi?"_

"_Fuzzy-eyebrows, it's been six months since I've gone on a mission. What makes you think today is any different?"_

_Lee stood up. His round and heavily-mascara-ed eyes were burning with disappointment. "Weren't you the one whose way of the ninja was to never give up?"_

"_I'm not giving up."_

_Somehow, Lee knew this had more meaning than the mission at hand. "How do you expect to bring Sasuke home if all you do is sulk?" whispered Lee, almost to himself._

"_I look for him all night to hide from the prying eyes of that damn Hokage. I sleep during the day and avoid missions. I don't sulk."_

"_Yes, you do."_

_Naruto slowly got to his feet to look fuzzy-eyebrows in the eye, but even at his full height, he was a good head shorter than Lee. Looking up at the tai-nin didn't take away any of the blonde's confidence. "I do not! I am going to find Sasuke and bring him home. I made a promise!"_

_Lee's eyes were full of pity. "Naruto, admit it. You are in no shape to bring home that traitor, even if you did promise Sakura. He's been missing for eight months now, and you have failed to even catch a glimpse of his royal arrogance."_

_Naruto tried to punch Lee's face in, but fuzzy-eyebrows easily blocked it. Punch after punch, kick after kick, and the blond failed to lay a scratch on Lee. He pulled out four shuriken and flung them straight at Lee's head, but the tai-nin dodged them all._

_Gasping for breath, partially from the attack, but mostly from lack of sleep, Naruto slumped at the foot of the tree._

"_You're right, fuzzy-eyebrows, I can't catch Sasuke now. I'm not fast enough." He looked down at his practically useless hands and tears of anger welled in his eyes._

_Lee bent down onto one knee. He cupped Naruto's chin with his bandaged hand and lifted his head up, looking him in the eyes. "Let me teach you."_

Before Kisame knew what was happening, another kick was landed on his face.

"What the…"

All of a sudden, it was like he was being attacked by four or five different ninjas. A whirl of orange was circling around him, kicking him and punching him so fast he did not have time to block them.

"Here's a riddle for you," mocked the blond as his knuckles collided with the shark's ribs. "If I can't use my strong chakra attack on you, what can I do?" Naruto laughed as his assault on Kisame continued.

Not only was the attack quick, it was powerful. Each blow felt like it had the strength of one-hundred men behind it. Knuckles bruised all surfaces of the shark's scaly body. Kisame gasped in pain and fell to his knees.

The beating stopped, and the shark's body was swallowed by Naruto's shadow. Blue eyes, filled with life and excitement, looked down pathetically at Kisame's limp form. "Now you know what I am capable of." With one final blow to the head, the blond knocked Kisame's broken body over onto the ground.

Leaving the shark in the middle of the road, Naruto turned towards town. Deciding to ignore the thoughts of a certain raven-haired boy that lingered in his mind, the blond began to wonder if Kakashi was still offering lunch.

**Well, there's chapter nine for ya, which aside from the first chapter is my personal favorite. Yes, I know I said I would wait if I didn't get more reviews. But I did get some support (lol Azamiko) and I wanna get these chapters off my hands while I have them. (_cough_, I'm not a hypocrite, nope, _whistles and strolls away_)**


	11. Chapter 10

**THIS IS CHAPTER TEN, DEAL WITH IT!**

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Ten)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters. **

**OK PLEASE READ IT IS IMPORTANT! I SWEAR ON THE HEAD OF SOHMA HATSUHARU THAT EVERY WORD I AM ABOUT TO TYPE IS THE TRUTH. To be honest, I have not actually written a word of this story for over a month. I had chapters one through nine all worked out already, and have been feeding them to you at my leisure. So, as you may imagine, it has been hard for me to start writing again. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I just couldn't get it down. **

**So, one of my betas came and offered to write chapters ten and eleven for me. Being my beta, he was already kind ofa co-writer, and since I had given him a couple-paragraph summary, it was easy for him to produce something we were both happy with. He writes fight fics very well. And seeing as the next two chaptersare mostly fighting, I had no objection.However, I did edit it and change someof it to flow better and go with the story, and he is aware of this.If I get any flames for it, I WILL bite you. Don't mess. Our writing styles are very different(for instance, he writes hell of a lot better than I do), and I would actually be curious as to what you think.**

**OK on with the warnings. It may seem that Sasuke has moved on from the weak, rape victim to strong and determined avenger kind of quickly. I don't care. I made a small transition in chapter eight, and if that wasn't enough for you, too bad. Also, a lot of people seem to think Deidara is a girl. Mos def not, and don't even bring it up, I have proof.**

**Besides, all the girls suck on Naruto, and Deidara is cool, so there is no way he is a girl.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

As Sasuke walked down the path through the forest he looked around himself, pondering. "Where are you, brother?" the raven haired boy asked himself. "I'm finally ready to fulfill the bargain. I feared you, despised your existence. But I've kept on living. My life as the avenger of our clan is coming to a close at last."

Sasuke stopped and looked up in frustration, roaring out at the cloudy sky, "WHERE ARE YOU!" With a furrowed brow on his face he turned his head to the path ahead and resumed his course.  
Walking without a destination was always a tiresome task. Each time Sasuke tried to think of where his brother could be he drew a blank. He had no knowledge of Akatsuki's whereabouts. Orochimaru hadn't talked much of their meetings, but had mentioned that they were never in a particular location. No matter how much he had pushed his sensei to give a straight answer, the snake had always insisted on remaining silent. Even now, Sasuke still wasn't sure why.

The roar of a waterfall broke Sasuke's train of thought. He wondered for a moment where he had come to, but in the back of his mind he already knew exactly where he was. Bursting into a run he emerged from the trees and saw it, the Valley of the End. It was the same place where he and Naruto had fought that time. Sasuke quivered for a moment, but then shook his head and turned to leave.

However, the movement of a small figure at the top of the falls caught his eye. He wondered who was standing there, and what they were doing. "No matter," thought Sasuke, "I have things to do."  
He had not taken more than a couple of steps when he heard a far off chirping, though this was also nothing to pay mind to. But when the chirping bird crashed into the tree next to him and released a massive explosion, his ignorance almost cost him his life. With a quick leap backwards, Sasuke avoided being blown up, but just barely.

The blast was rather large, considering the small size of the bird. He was fortunate enough to receive minimal damage, only a few small scraps of wood had hit him, and only one of those had managed to draw blood. The rest of the tree fell away from him as he spun around and reemerged from the brush.

He turned his glare up towards the figure at the top of the cliff, only to find it gone. "What WAS that?" The question rolled around Sasuke's mind as he scanned the area all around himself. He could find no trace of who had attacked him, but then he locked his eyes upon the bird flying almost directly above him. "Is _that_ what attacked me?"

His question was answered as another pair of birds came flying down at him. These two were differently shaped, larger bodies but very elongated. They also had four wings, as opposed to the two wings on the first bird. The different style of bird made it remarkably fast. The two closed in on him before he knew what was happening. They came up on both sides and exploded, engulfing their target in the dual blast. Sasuke's shriek could be heard all the way up to the large bird in the sky, something that made its rider quite glad.

"Good sound... yeah. This kid is a friend of the Jinchuuriki with Kyuubi. Not to mention he's in league with Orochimaru. It's good to finish him off since the opportunity's here... yeah." Deidara let out a satisfied laugh and sat down on his owl-like creation, ready to leave and return to his official job of keeping tabs on Naruto.

How surprised Deidara was to hear the sound of flames rushing at him. His head swiveled and he saw the fireball coming directly at his art. The owl moved to the side in a sudden descent to evade the blaze. Deidara's eyes narrowed as he scanned the area beneath himself, "That little brat survived? Well, this might be a better fight than I thought... yeah." He rummaged through the bag he had at his side and removed a half dozen of the small birds. A simple surge of chakra brought them to life and they began to flit around their creator's head.

On the ground Sasuke was cursing himself. The attack should have hit, but the massive distance was against him. If he could get a kunai up there it would be better, but the chances of doing so now were small at best. For the time he would be forced to settle with what he had. Sasuke's hands moved with expert precision and speed as he formed the seals he wanted, in his mind he roared "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu" and he spit a stream of flames from his mouth. The flame quickly gathered into another large fireball and was sent flying at the bird. This time Sasuke formed the seals immediately and sent another blast right after the first.

Deidara saw the blasts coming this time. Dodging the flames was an easy task when you could watch the approach from a distance. The carrier swooped wide to the left and both blasts were easily bypassed. Now he knew the location of the current target. It would be all over for him now. But from his position Deidara could never finish the boy. He was clever enough to have concealed himself in the trees. Wiping out all of the forest would require something on par with the "Specialty #18", and this kid was not someone to waste one of those on.

Deidara's carrier swooped the rest of the way down in a fast dive and passed away from the wooded area. Now Deidara was over the clearing and the water, a much better place to fight the brat. His fire could never compare with the might of Deidara's art. It would undoubtedly be a short time until the boy came out. From what Deidara knew of the Uchiha, he was not the type to allow someone to try and kill him and then let them get away with it.

The assumption had been correct. Sasuke exploded from the forest at full speed, arms trailing behind his back, bent into the run. His raven eyes were set in a furious glare at this adversary. Deidara's face changed into a twisted smile. He sent the birds he had prepared earlier at the approaching boy.

Sasuke was not one to be caught by the same thing twice. He knew well enough that these things would explode. He had been lucky to have a kawarimi in place prior, but this time would be different. With a swift motion he pulled out a trio of kunai in each hand. As he stepped onto the water he sent them rocketing at the birds. All the while he continued his run towards his enemy, closing the distance. The figure was definitely what he had seen before, but he couldn't make out the details.

The half dozen kunai only connected with two of the birds, but it was more than enough. Upon being punctured they released powerful explosions. Being in such close proximity to the other birds caused them to spin wildly for a moment and then explode as well. Deidara's disapproval of this was made apparent by the curses he mumbled as he reached down and pulled out what resembled a worm. By feeding it chakra it was shrouded in a cloud of smoke and grew considerably into an oddly deformed serpent. It only lingered in the air for a moment before plunging underwater.

Sasuke burst through the still clearing smoke of the blasts and closed the remaining distance with his opponent. A few quick hand seals and he shouted out "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" Eight small balls of flame were shot from his mouth in various directions at the foe. Deidara chuckled and his large bird flapped its wings. The ensuing gust of wind was enough to dispose of the balls of flame, but not the shuriken Sasuke had hidden inside. They flew onwards at Deidara, only to be stopped by a wall of water that rose up before them.

The serpent shocked Sasuke for a moment. It took him a second to register that it was of the same type as the birds. The creature seemed to stay poised for a moment, and then it launched itself directly at Sasuke. The boy formed a few hand seals and used "Goukakyuu no Jutsu"on the beast, but it burst through. It was all Sasuke could do to dodge the attack. This manner of creature was in a different class than the previous ones. The creature submerged once again and all but became invisible. Sasuke had no chance of seeing beneath the water with all of the distortion the thing had caused.

His situation looked rather grim at this point. The creature was obviously immune to an attack as powerful as Goukakyuu no Jutsu and that was one of the most powerful techniques Sasuke possessed. He knew one technique that would be sufficient, but wasting it now would be a bad idea. With an opponent like this he would most likely need both attacks to secure victory.

**Yes, it is a friggin' long chapter. It was originally just going to be one chapter, but I was like, "no way dude." Um, yea, so the guy who wrote this is really annoying and unreliable, so of course he hasn't written the second half yet. I IMed him today and asked if he had written it, and he blocked me. _Growl_. So, unfortunatly, I have absolutely no idea when chapter eleven will be up. If it gets to be more than a few days, I will write it myself. Unless y'all are like "no way, have hime write the rest, he's better," lol then you can wait for his royal arrogance to update it.**

**Or I'll write it anyway, but I am a really big procrastinator, so it might actually take longer if I write it. Unless I make it a short chapter... I derno, you guys decide. I'm no good at making decisions.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Eleven)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

Deidara watched the boy's furrowed brow. Obviously he was trying to figure out how to beat the latest creation, but was coming up with nothing. Not surprising, really. This was the one of the single greatest pieces of art that Deidara had ever remembered making. It would be impossible for a puny kid with only fire jutsu to take it down.

Suddenly, Sasuke took in the appearance of his opponent. The black robe covered in red clouds… how had he not realized it! This guy must know Itachi somehow! With a renewed anger he shouted his question over the water, "Do you know my brother, Uchiha Itachi!"

Deidara chuckled at the question for a moment. So this is Itachi's little brother, then? He turned his head up and shot a gaze directly into Sasuke's eyes, his voice much lower so it was barely heard over the distance, "I did know him. Sadly, he's dead now…yeah."

After straining to hear the words, Sasuke was not sure if he had heard what he thought. Dead? How could Itachi be dead? He was Sasuke's to kill; no one else could take his life! The rage began to surge up within Sasuke, he shut his eyes in frustration and a thousand images flashed by. Pictures of his parents, the Uchiha clan, his brother in the past, all of the hard work he had forced himself through. It was all for nothing, now.

"How did he die!" came the shriek from the boy. He was in a state of absolute shock; nothing like this had ever been expected. How could his brother, someone with such supreme power, die? It was impossible, had to be.

Deidara's face was plastered with a twisted smile. He rather enjoyed the kid's anger. It looked like Itachi had been someone important, but what did that matter? All that he had to worry about was taking care of the Jinchuuriki, the only reason this kid was worth any time was to crush the Kyuubi kid's spirit. After a moment of deliberation, Deidara answered, "That's more than what you need to know… yeah."

It was the moment that pushed Sasuke over the edge. His eyes bulged for a moment and he doubled over with the terrible shock. The steady stream of chakra he had been releasing was ruined and he fell down into the water. There he could clearly see the giant serpent swimming around in a wide circle, but he was paying it no attention. He looked up towards the surface of the water, his bloodline eyes activated and full of rage. As he began to kick back towards the surface the seal on his neck glowed and came to life, spreading the swirls all over the boy's body. When Sasuke reached the surface he exploded upwards, eyes locked on his opponent.

"Well he's gotten a lot stronger… yeah," the casual mumbling clearly showed how insignificant he considered this fight to be. He saw the curse seal that had spread all over the kid's body, one of Orochimaru's stupid things. That would make this kid cost him even more time, what a waste. With a simple motion of his hand the serpent came flying up from the water to attack the kid.

The Sharingan made all the difference this time. He could almost see the creature come flying out of the water a second before it did. With a fluid motion he hopped backwards and pulled out several shuriken. Sasuke released the shuriken in a wide arc, sending them all flying towards the serpent. It twisted in midair and the shuriken all flew past, but when Sasuke tugged on the string he had tied on it pulled them back, looping the strings around the beast.

With the monster tethered to him, Sasuke turned his angry eyes up to Deidara, letting him know how serious this fight has become. His hands a blur, he formed a series of seals and roared, "Katon! Ryuuka no Jutsu!" A deep breath was the only prelude to the violent stream of flame that erupted from his mouth. It seemed to take on the form of a dragon and roar with a fury akin to Sasuke's. The dragon took only a moment before it crashed into the creation.

The blast from the collision was tremendous. It sent Sasuke flying backwards, skipping across the water almost back to shore. He flipped up as he slowed and landed on the water, bloodline eyes scanning the battlefield, looking for his opponent. Finally they revealed a sphere of the same material that the creature had been made of. Sasuke was baffled for a moment, but then the bird's wings began to unfold.

Deidara's eyes were burning with rage. This brat had destroyed some of his finest art! The explosion had been expected after an attack like that, so his carrier had shielded him from the blast without a problem. A quick glance around told him nothing; the smoke was still too thick. But the sound of another approaching fireball was all the warning needed for his carrier to place its wings up in defense again. The fireball dispersed on contact, as he had known it would, but what came after was unexpected.

Sasuke had formed hand seals with incredible speed, holding his hand down and focusing chakra into his palm. The chakra formed into a glowing mass that launched bolt of pure energy out, making the familiar sound of the thousand birds. With this attack at the ready Sasuke ran forward, merely a blur along the water. His red eyes focused on the target in front of him. As he approached the wings of the giant bird curled up again, but his Chidori was more than enough to deal with that obstacle. By merely kicking up his leg he swung his arm in an arc that sliced off the wing of the creature, leaving Deidara fully open to an attack.

The attack followed swiftly, leaving no opening for an escape. Sasuke wedged his other arm and one of his legs into the opening he had made. His other leg struck out and landed a solid hit on his opponent sending him flying backwards. In the same instant he flung himself forward at high speed, hovering over the enemy for a moment. Their eyes met for a second, the red glare of the sharingan piercing into Deidara, who had finally begun to realize that he could lose.

With a single fluid motion, Sasuke's leg whipped out and crashed into Deidara's arm, followed up by a fist directly to the chest. The two crashed into the lake, sending sheets of water in all directions as they came to the shores. Sasuke stood over Deidara, and slowly his eyes began to change. Deidara's body froze and his eyes became glazed over for a second before he grabbed his head and shrieked in pain.

"Tell me how my brother died!" came Sasuke's desperate roar, grabbing Deidara's collar and breaking the trance. The sound nin glared intensely at his opponent and whispered "never", but did not get another word in before he grabbed at his head again, pulling his hair and trying to end his suffering. "TELL ME!" Sasuke's voice cracked slightly as he screamed at his opponent.

"Make it…stop. Make it STOP!" whimpered Deidara, completely shaken by what was going on in his head.

"Tell me how my brother died!"

"He…he was going blind!" whispered Deidara, too weak to fight back. "He was becoming so paranoid that he was attacking everyone who came near him. So…so our leader decided to kill him. But in the battle, both of them perished."

Sasuke's eyes widened in anger and confusion. Barely even caring, he grabbed a kunai and stabbed his opponent in the chest. As Deidara's eyes began to fade, he thought he saw the Uchiha stumble to his feet and head back into the forest.

**If I get any crap about this chapter being late, I will laugh. After this, I think about three chapters, and I have yet to write any of them. However, it will be my writing. I stuck to Ed's writing because it flowed better if the whole fight was written by the same person. Also, I like his style, regardless of what anyone else says.**

**Anywho, I know what is happening in the next chapters, and I wanna finish the story before school starts (sept. 7th) so look out for chapter 12 soon.**

**Reviews make me feel inspired (just a hint.)**


	13. Chapter 12

_flashback, quoted from the subtitles of the anime. I DONT OWN NARUTO!_

**_flashback from this story_**

* * *

The blond kicked a pebble off of the road. As hard as he tried, he was unable to stop thinking about Sasuke.

"_Sasuke is now within the darkness. If you stop in a place like this, you will not be able to catch up to Sasuke."_

"_What am I to you? Am I not your friend? Are you saying everything that Team Seven went through didn't mean anything to you?"_

"_It wasn't meaningless. You've become…my best friend."_

_**"Don't you remember! You were trying to kill me. You were trying to fucking kill me!" Naruto's voice got louder as Sasuke got farther and farther away. "You said I was your best friend!" shouted the blond.**_

_**The Uchiha stopped at this. "You are no longer my best friend," he said loud enough so Naruto could make it out. "No one is," Sasuke whispered quietly, almost to himself.**_

Naruto walked into a tree. "Fuck!" He stumbled backwards, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "How did I do that? Maybe I should pay more attention…"

"_What are you?" gaped Sasuke as Naruto's red chakra flowed around him._

"_Your friend! That's why I said I'm not letting you go to Orochimaru. That's why I said I'd break your arms and legs if I had to!"_

As Naruto looked up, he realized that he had wandered from the road to…

"The valley of the end."

The setting sun spotlighted a lump on the side of the water.

Naruto walked over to it, and soon recognized it as a familiar foe. Bending down, the blond touched the fatal wound in Deidara's chest.

"Deidara…but who could have…"

Naruto stood up quickly as he realized who could have killed such an opponent. He began to run back into the forest, but a figure with black hair and beautiful eyes to match stood at the edge of the waterfall and caught his eye.

"O shit…"

* * *

"Why did I have to be so stupid? I was so weak!"

"_If you want t kill me, despise me and hate me."_

"_Brother, in order to kill you, no matter how dark the future is, I will push through it. No matter what happens, I will obtain power."_

"_From now on, I am an avenger!"_

"I still couldn't defeat my brother. I failed as an avenger!"

"_Sasuke forget about your revenge."_

"There is no more reason to be alive!"

Sasuke slowly pulled out a kunai from his holster. Raising it above his head, he plunged it towards his stomach.

"Now, DIE like you should have years ago!"

Before the blade could penetrate his flesh, a certain excitable blond jumped out of the bushes.

"Sasuke, WAIT!"

Naruto ran towards Sasuke with all the speed he could stand, and knocked the kunai out of his hand, pushing them both over the edge of the cliff.

* * *

**I kno, I'm a bad person. I totally lied. I mean, I haven't written in forever. I'm really sorry and all that. But I am a procrastinator. What can I say? This is really a filler chapter, which is totally not fair. But the next chapter will be good, when I get it out. The more reviews I get, the more inspired I am.**

**Oh, and check out my other story, Shake it Up, which is an AU I am very proud of, and am also procrastinating on. hehe.**

**If I get any complaints about the quotes from the anime, too bad. I think it makes it sound cool.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Thirteen)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

Acting quickly, Naruto turned his back to the water and, using his chakra, clung to the cliff wall with his feet, cradling Sasuke in his arms.

"Sasuke, you bastard!"

"I was about to say the same thing to you, idiot!"

Naruto walked backwards down the cliff. As he reached the bottom, he shoved Sasuke onto a ledge behind the waterfall. "What the fuck were you doing?"

Sasuke turned his back to Naruto and spoke in a voice that was barely audible. "What do you think I was doing?"

Naruto kicked Sasuke's head in frustration, and the Uchiha didn't even attempt to stop his own body from slamming into the icy rock wall. "Why would you try and stab yourself?"

Sasuke's face was in shadow as he slowly picked up his bruised body. "There's no point in living anymore."

Naruto gave Sasuke another hard push. "Don't say stuff like that."

Sasuke scowled. "And why not?" He drove his fist into the blonde's stomach. "What the fuck am I supposed to do if Itachi is dead?"

Naruto gave the Uchiha a blank stare. "Itachi is dead?"

Sasuke continued on his self pitying rant. "I've lived my entire life training and preparing so that I could kill my brother. And now he's fucking DEAD and what am I supposed…to…do?" Sasuke's voice cracked as the full weight of what his brother's death meant hit him for the first time. "What am I supposed to do?" he gasped, trying to keep the tears in. "What am I supposed to do? What is left for me?"

"_Sasuke, I always knew you were alone. I really wanted to become like you. You were my inspiration."_

Naruto walked over to the Uchiha and lifted up his chin to look into his watery black eyes. "I am left for you."

The blonde's hand gently glided up to Sasuke's cheek and brushed away the tears that had fallen.

Sasuke could barely breath. His heart fluttered and then skipped a beat as the blond lowered his lips to barely skim the Uchiha's. "I'm what you're supposed to do," Naruto whispered before he caught Sasuke's lips in his own again, this time in a more fiery kiss.

"Naruto…" the Uchiha moaned as they pulled apart.

"I will always be there for you, Sasuke," smiled the blond. He then embraced his sobbing friend as if he would never let him go.

* * *

What? What is this story?

I'm sure that anyone who had this alerted was like "wtf."

And I was, too. I haven't written a real chapter for this story since June, and it would have continued this way if me buddy Talia hadn't come over.

Yeah, um just pretend there is a yaoi scene after that, or someone else write it for me or something, 'cuz after one more chapter, this thing is over and outta my hair, and it will be in like a couple minutes if Talia and I get our priorities straight.

lalala keep reading and check your email, soon!


	15. Chapter 14

**Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Fourteen)**

**Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto**

**Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.**

**Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.**

**Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.**

* * *

_When you feel all alone_

_And the world has turned it's back on you_

_Give me a moment please_

_To tame your wild wild heart_

_I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you_

_It's hard to find relief_

_And people can be so cold_

_When darkness is upon you door_

_And you feel like you can't take anymore_

_Let me be the one you call_

_If you jump I'll break your fall_

_Lift you up and fly away with you into the night_

_If you need to fall apart_

_Well I can mend a broken heart_

_If you need to crash then crash and burn_

_You're not alone_

The radio played softly in the background. Then, a long slender arm reached over and turned it off.

"We need to talk."

"OK."

"I shouldn't have left you like that."

"I know."

"And it wasn't right, what I said to you."

"You're right."

"I was just being an idiot."

"Yeah, you were."

"I just wanted to say…"

"Yeah?"

"Naruto, could you stop INTERRUPTING me?"

"Haha, OK," laughed the blond playfully as he ruffled Sasuke's hair.

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. And I love you."

"I love you, too," Naruto winked as he wrapped his arms around the Uchiha.

"Now, let's have hot man sex."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke. "What?"

Sasuke slapped his forehead in frustration and embarrassment. "I didn't…say that," he whispered as he pointed above their naked bodies at the ceiling.

The blond looked up only to be greeted by a certain silver-haired jounin and his wimpy chuunin lover. "Yo, smile for the camera, Naruto!" With a flash, Kakashi took a quick snapshot and then jumped out the window as a naked Naruto went diving after him.

"Kakashi, you PERVERT! Give me back that camera!"

As Naruto and Kakashi went running off into the night, Sasuke and Iruka walked to the window to watch their lovers quarrel.

"Why do we love them again?" asked Sasuke, pulling a sheet around his waist.

"Well, Kakashi is pretty…good…" smirked Iruka, remembering the previous hour's events.

"How are you a teacher, again? And of children, no less…"

"Let's just say I have VERY good silver-haired friends in high places."

"If you couldn't kick my ass, I would smack you.""

"Are you actually admitting I could kick your ass?"

"Well, come to think of it, you can't. I guess I'm just far too horny to think straight."

Iruka blushed. "Thanks for sharing."

THE END

* * *

Finally, thank God it is over. 

Well, it has been very fun writing this thing. Sometimes. It was OK.

Yeah, um the song I quoted (totally perfect for this fic, btw) was Crash and Burn by Savage Garden.

And if you couldn't tell Azamiko, this chapter is DEDICATED to you for being my most dedicated reader and reviewer, which is why I kinda stole your idea for the convo thingamajigger.

And seriously, go check out my other fic, which is SasuGaa and AU, but I totally am way more proud of it than this one.

Thank you to Azamiko and all of my other reviewers (although I must say, I had like 5000+ hits and only 30+ reviews, so that is kinda strange)

Thank you anime for being "eminantly quotable" lol

Um, thank you Naruto for existing

Thank you Kishimoto for being cool

Not thank you to whoever is coming up with this CRAP filler thing

Um...yea, is that really all? omigod, I can't believe it is over...

I mean, it has been like a six month journey of discovery and literature and all that crap, and now it is just...

THE FRIGGIN' END


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